Black Rose
by itsabitmuddy
Summary: Rose Potter had only got her brother back four years ago, after ten years apart, and since then trouble had chased after Harry as if it was determined to take him away from her again. But now, trouble is chasing her, and it's Sirius trouble.
1. Chapter 1: The Final Task

She could feel her heart beating against her rib cage, the quick thuds drowning out the noise of the crowd. Her head began to swim, and she reminded herself to breathe to clear it again. Distantly, she recognised voices speaking reassurances; she nodded as if she was listening, but she was too focused on the ground below to hear, waiting...

Rose Potter had only got her brother back four years ago, after ten years apart, and since then trouble had chased after Harry as if it was determined to take him away from her again. He was too young, far too young, to be in this stupid tournament, and whose stupid idea was it anyway? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

It had been more than an hour now, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could last before passing out from the stress of waiting. And then, out of nowhere, there he was: a lanky teenager with a mop of dark, wild hair, much like her own. Relief flooded her, and without a second thought she flew down the steps, barging through the crowd until she stopped dead, registered the scene before her, and let out a harsh scream.

Cedric Diggory was the heartthrob of her year. Everyone knew he was going to change the world for the better, marry a breathtakingly beautiful witch and produce adorable, perfect children, and they would all love him and hate him for doing so. Except, he was dead. No matter how hard Harry clung on to his lifeless body, and no matter how desperately she wished otherwise, it was clear that nothing could be done.

She prised Harry's hands off the body, and wrapped her arms tightly around him. At first he struggled, and then he slumped against her as the fight went out of him. She might be three years older than her little brother, but somehow he wasn't so little anymore and she struggled to keep them both upright.

"It's alright, Miss Potter, I've got him... Come here, Potter, hospital wing..." Rose recognised the growl as Professor Moody, and allowed him to steer her brother in the direction of the castle. She blinked as she took in the scene, opening her ears for the first time: she could hear the screams and cries of fellow students; the barking orders of authorities; the heart wrenching wail of a childless father. The crowd had now descended the steps, and she felt herself being buffered from this way to that. Professor Dumbledore was searching the mass of people, a troubled frown on his face, and Rose forced her way through to him with a nagging feeling that something was very wrong.

"It's Moody, Professor! He said he was taking him to the hospital wing," she gasped, the panic that suddenly gripped her leaving her breathless. Professor Moody was the most renowned ex-auror, a saviour of the wizarding world, surely he could be trusted? But someone they knew was trying to kill Harry, and the look on her headmaster's face told her otherwise. She tried to follow Dumbledore as students jumped out of his path, sprinting across the grounds as she finally made it through, but he was nowhere to be seen. Figuring that Moody had said he was taking Harry to the hospital wing, Rose dashed up several staircases, only to find a bewildered Madame Pompfrey. She spun around, almost falling back down the staircases in a rush to get to Moody's office, her next destination, only to find Dumbledore with his wand pointed at some stranger's face, with Snape forcing a clear liquid down his throat. Rosalyn gaped, shook her head to will some sense into it, and then listened as all the disturbing truths of the last year came tumbling out.

...

"Rose..." the man croaked as she stepped into the headmaster's office, and she saw her own fears reflected in his eyes. After a 12 year stint in Azkaban, Sirius Black was a little worse for wear, but Rosalyn was eternally grateful that he had stepped up to the part of Parent in her little brother's life. It only took his concerned gaze to make her break into a thousand pieces, and she sank to her knees as they gave away, desperately willing the tears away. She felt his strong arms wrap around her, and somehow she broke further and began to sob uncontrollably. His arms tightened, as if he was the only thing preventing her from dissolving into a puddle of tears. She broke away, hating herself for crying and hating him for witnessing it. She strode over to the window and stared out at the lake with unseeing eyes while they waited for Dumbledore, shifting uncomfortably as she felt her brother's godfather continue to gaze at her, the expression reflected in the glass unfathomable.


	2. Chapter 2: The Hospital Wing

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this, but obviously this story is based on JK Rowling's work, and for this chapter in particular I've taken a lot from the fourth book. As you can probably tell, this is my first fanfic and I'm more of a science person than a writer... Never mind!

...

Sitting by Harry's bed in the hospital wing, Rose brushed the hair from his forehead. He looked so vulnerable, so peaceful; how could someone so young have seen so much? The Weasleys and Hermione were whispering to each other, trying to figure out the events of that evening, but Rose ignored them. She had heard Barth Crouch Jr's story, and she had heard her brother relay what happened in the maze to Dumbledore and his godfather; she didn't want to have to go through it all again in front of Harry, even if he was oblivious to them.

"They'll wake him if they don't shut up!" Rose could hear shouting in the distance, quickly getting louder as the people arguing appeared to be hurrying towards the hospital wing.

"That's Fudge's voice," whispered Mrs Weasley, "And that's Minerva McGonagall's isn't it? But what are they arguing about?" They all stared uneasily towards the doors at the entrance of the wing, listening carefully.

"Regrettable, but all the same Minerva -" said a voice Rose recognised as Cornelius Fudge, the Minster of Magic.

"You should never have brought it inside the castle!" yelled Professor McGonagall, "when Dumbledore finds out -"

The hospital doors burst open, making Rose jump out of her chair. She ducked down, ignoring the strange look Bill Weasley gave her when he noticed, and crawled under the bed to where Sirius was hiding as a huge, black dog.

"The moment that - that thing entered the room," Rose heard McGonagall scream to Professor Dumbledore, whose boots had just appeared at the end of Harry's bed, "it swooped down on Crouch and - and -" Sirius the dog gave a small whimper, and with a sickening realisation Rose understood that Barty Crouch Jr. must have been given the Dementor's Kiss, the same fate that awaited Sirius should he ever be caught. Rose gave the dog a small, comforting rub on the head, listening carefully to the argument above them with a heavy heart as she soon understood that the Fudge she knew would simply not accept that Lord Voldemort had returned. Without the Minister's support, things would be a lot more difficult. Lost in thought, she had only vaguely caught the rest of the conversation before Fudge stormed from the room in determined disbelief. Annoyed with herself for not paying attention, Rose tuned back in to the Headmaster as he began to address the rest of them.

"There is work to be done," said Dumbledore, and Rose pulled herself out from under the bed, frowning at the urgency of his tone. "Molly... Am I right in thinking I can count on you and Arthur?"

"Of course you can," Molly Weasley replied, and Bill volunteered to go and let Mr Weasley know what had happened. Dumbledore then turned to Professor McGonagall, asking her to bring Hagrid and Madame Maxine to his office; Rose was vaguely reminded of something Harry had said earlier, something about You Know Who recruiting giants.

"And now," said Dumbledore, "it is time for two of our number to recognise each other for what they are. Sirius... If you could resume your usual form." Rose held her breath as the big, black dog transformed into a gaunt-looking man in filthy, striped prison clothes. Mrs Weasley screamed, believing that Sirius had committed the crime he was infamous for: the mass murder of twelve Muggles, and a wizard, with just one curse.

"Mrs Weasley, it's okay... He's innocent," Rose explained, getting back to her feet and pulling Ms Weasley around to face her, but that was no comfort to Professor Snape.

"Him!" he snarled at Sirius, whose face showed equal dislike, "what is he doing here?"

"He is here at my invitation," said Dumbledore, looking between them, "as are you, Severus. I trust you both. It is time for you to lay aside your old differences, and trust each other." It appeared that Dumbledore was asking for a miracle, as both men continued to eye each other with utmost loathing.

"I will settle, in the short term, for a lack of open hostility," Dumbledore said impatiently, "now, Sirius, I need you to set off at once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher - the old crowd. Take Miss Potter; now she is of age, she has a right to know everything. Lie low at Lupin's. I will contact you there." Rose opened her mouth, questions spinning around her head faster than she could think of them, but Harry spoke first.

"But-" he said, and everyone jumped; no one had realised he was awake.

"You'll see us very soon," said Sirius, "I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?" Harry nodded, resigned, as Sirius gripped his hand before transforming back into a dog and bounding towards the doors.

"Everything's going to be okay, Harry," Rose leaned over and whispered into his ear, before giving him a small kiss on his forehead. "I'll be back before you know it." And with that, she hurried after Sirius, not wanting anyone to see the tears spilling from her eyes; her little brother had just suffered through a most traumatic evening, and now she was abandoning him. Swiping angrily at the moisture on her cheeks, she hurried after the huge dog determined to get some answers.

"Where are we going? I don't understand, who are these people? Sirius, please!" She begged, not caring that she had used his name; this area of the castle was deserted, there was no one to overhear them. Sirius let out a small bark, no doubt telling her to be quiet, but Rose had had enough. She stopped running after the dog and folded her arms across her chest stubbornly, a determined expression on her face. Sirius seemed to notice that her footsteps had stopped, and turned back to see where she had got to. He growled at her when he took in her expression, then bounded into the nearest deserted classroom, Rose close behind him. Just as she entered the room, the door slammed behind her and she turned to find the dog was now a full grown man towering over her.

"Rose, I know you're scared - believe me, I am too. But we don't have time for all your questions right now, we need to get on. Voldemort is back, and we need to let people know... People who will believe us. The people who fought against him, alongside your parents, the last time. I need you to just trust me. Can you do that?" There was a sense of urgency in his voice, but none of the frustration that was written on his face and for that Rose was grateful. There was nothing to do but nod, her voice abandoning her as his eyes pierced hers with such an intensity that she just wanted to curl up on the floor. And then he looked away, transformed back into a dog and bounded away once more as Rose forced herself to breathe again. This was important, and she was not; she needed to stop acting like the scared child she felt she was.


End file.
